1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a contents distribution supporting apparatus and program which supports smoothing and activation of contents distribution on a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been a mail-order service using a communication network, in which contents (products) such as various data, software, and services existing on a public communication network such as the Internet are purchased on credit, for example.
Also, there has been known a service in which “points” are issued when a user purchases products for cash or on credit, and in subsequent purchases, the purchased amount is discounted according to the points.
There has been proposed a system which accumulates points as mentioned above in user accounts provided in e.g. a database on a communication network so that the points can be shared among a plurality of shops or the like connected to the communication network (refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-32857, for example).
However, in the above described way of contents distribution on a communication network, even if contents are provided at low price (for example, a piece of music for 100 yen), it is necessary to pay in cash or on credit based on cash and hence users may be reluctant to purchase contents.